Fauvic Nurseries in Grouville, started a century ago when William Payn began growing outdoor tomatoes on land at Rocque cooled by the sea breezes, from the Royal Bay of Grouville.

Today, his great-grandson, Stanley, is still growing tomatoes but under glass and alongside salads, herbs and bedding plants, mostly from April to December. This produce can be bought in retail outlets around Jersey – including Waitrose and Channel Islands Cooperative Society stores.

Like so many of his peers in the Island’s horticultural industry, Stanley has had to diversify in the face of foreign competition for the British market, so Fauvic Nurseries no longer exports crops, concentrating solely on the local market, while keeping apace with new growing techniques.

The nursery in Rue au Long in the parish of Grouville, is where you will find the well-known HolmeGrown store – the most southerly farm shop in the British Isles.

Runner-up in the British Protected awards in 1999 - and endorsed as one of the Best Foodie Destinations in the British Isles in 2012 by The Sunday Telegraph it is open seven days a week; all year round with the only exception being Christmas Day.

There you will find a butcher, a baker, patisserie chefs, a green grocer, a resident potter and an artist and a garden section. There is a café using Stanley’s and other local produce, many items from fellow Genuine Jersey members. A variety of products carrying the Genuine Jersey Mark are also on sale, reflecting Stanley’s philosophy of supporting local producers and produce wherever possible.

Like all local growers, Stanley is passionate about everything he does and, as he takes a hands-on approach to his business, he can usually be found in the farm shop.

(Portrait images courtest of Gary Grimshaw.)